Mike Allen wrote:

All,

One thing everyone is missing is that the situation is not similar to
someone with gender dysphoria or someone who has been castrated.

The magic of the curse has turned Ranma into a fully functional female.  His
genes are XX when female.  More things are different between men and women
past the obvious ones.  Our brains are different.  Hormones are different.

It is my humble opionion that if Ranma were to be permanently changed female
that he would initially try to stay exactly the same.  In other words be a
man among men.  However, the society she lives in would quickly give her a
kick in the teeth.  She might try to hang with the guys, but how many would
be comfortable telling dirty jokes and other things teenage boys discuss.

We'll ignore the fact that Ranma already isn't comfortable telling 
dirty jokes and and discussing things with teenage boys.  

The girls on the other hand, would start expecting her to start following
the norms for a girl.

One thing that Ranma shows no sign of, is being vulnerable to peer 
pressure.  His mother's expectations are another matter.  

In the second phase, the female programmed brain and female hormones would
begin working on her psyche.  How many of you reading this were attracted to
whichever sex you're attracted to before puberty?  Until our sex hormones
started working, we were all basically sexless.  She might intellectually
try to tell herself that she was a guy and is not attracted to guys but
girls.  Emotionally and hormonally, Ranma would find it hard not becoming
attracted sexually to a guy.  With the exception being if Ranma were really
gay in his male form, then she would logically become a lesbian.

Nature versus nuture arguments aside, once you've gotten into the 
habit of becoming aroused by a given stimulus it's exceedingly rare
for you to lose that reflex even if the initial reason for it is 
removed.  There are people out there who are aroused by prepubescent
children, by funny looking shoes, by being tied up or by wearing rubber 
underwear.  None of these seem likely to be the product of hormonal 
programming.  A Ranma trapped as a girl, with a girl's hormones, might 
very well find herself becoming aroused by men after a while.  But 
there's no reason to think she'd lose the already established reflexive 
response to girls.  

 While Ranma might never concede to wearing frilly skirts and other overtly
feminine styles of clothing, I feel that she would eventually become a woman
in things sexual.  Otherwise, Ranma would be doomed to a lonely life of
depression with a possible sex-change operation thrown in.

I had no problems with Gary's fic.  I felt that it was hitting pretty 

No, Gary's the other guy.  

true

to the mark.  It took eighteen months for the pressures from both society
and her own body to reach a breaking point.  With no out and in a
depression, Ranma could conceivably make a suicide attempt.

My primary problem with Iris is that Ranma's family honour already 
demands he commits suicide.  Under the circumstances it isn't really
an irrational course of action.  So why's he in the bin?  

Pant, Pant , Pant

Whew, I'm glad I got that out of my system.

Mike Allen
http://home1.gte.net/allenmk